Horizon
by UjCake
Summary: What was she supposed to do? She really had no idea. She was just making it up as she went. Her only option was to step forward into the horizon, so that's what she did.
1. AN

**A/N**

So this is an idea thats been swimming around in my mind for a while. It was sort of inspired by Victoria1676 after I read a story of hers titled "A Slayer's Heart" on Quotev. I plan on my story being fundamentally different in the sequence of events because having another character involved in a universe, I believe will alter events whether small or large, for better or worse.

Gonna be honest, this story is completely for my own benefit. Both as a guilty pleasure and also as a little project to get back into the routine of writing after my two year hiatus.

The main character is FEMALE. I'm gonna be honest again, its gonna take a while to actually get to the One Piece storyline. Sorry not sorry.

Sorry to all my readers waiting on an update to "We Are." When I enlisted in the Armed Forces back in 2015, I forgot about it. Recently, I tried sitting down and forcing myself to write for it, however it didn't really work and instead my motivation went further south.

This plot bunny was very demanding, running rampant in my head so I've done a lot of thinking on it but because I work 10hr shifts I don't have a lot of it down. Also, I've noticed I tend to write 5k word chapters, so I'm going to try and cut that down to less than half so I can hopefully update more often... Yikes.

One Piece Various x Fairy Tail OC

Very slow burn. Infrequent updates. I curse, FYI. I own my OCs and their powers. I do NOT own One Piece or Fairy Tail. Sadly.

Also published on Wattpad under the author with the same name. It's my acct, so don't worry.


	2. Prologue

A young woman stumbled through the rocky terrain's scraggly foliage. Her bare foot caught on the root of a scrawny tree, sending the pale woman tumbling to her knees. Her palms scraped against the rough ground, adding to the burns and deep cuts strewn about her body. She gasped for breath, her lungs screaming for oxygen. The feat she just accomplished had left her beyond exhausted, yet the overwhelming sense of relief brought tears to her eyes. The brunette woman inhaled a deep breath as she sat back on her feet. A soft smile graced her pained face. She was safe. She lightly shook her head.

 _Not me. Us. We are safe_ , she thought as she rested a hand on her pregnancy swollen belly, feeling the kick of her unborn child.

With the adrenaline wearing off, she winced in pain as she felt blood dripping from her various wounds. She gained a sensation of vertigo as her vision began to swim. The blue eyed woman pressed a hand to her eyes in a futile attempt to alleviate her pain.

That's when she heard it. Something sharp scraping against stone over and over. A blade, or possibly sharp horns or even talons. Her blue eyes widened as they fearfully flicked about her, attempting to locate the source of the sound. The noise bounced around the mountainous terrain of her surroundings as it grew steadily in volume.

The woman's breath hitched in fear as a large shadow overtook her, blocking the hot sun from bearing down on her back. However, the heat of the sun was replaced with a rhythmic, humid wind; it was something's breath. She heard a quiet growl emanate from behind her, but it was undoubtedly the deepest sound she's ever heard originate from a living creature.

The creature continued to sniff her wounded back for a few moments before speaking with a deep rumble, "What do you think you are doing here, human?"

The woman was so shocked to hear a voice, she was quiet for a few moments until she heard its throaty growl again. She decided to answer the huge creature behind her honestly, "I'm running."

"From who?"

"Pirates."

"Pirates? Fine. Why did you flee?"

The woman began to feel a headache add to her pain and she snapped at her interrogator, "I'm from a wealthy island so they robbed my village before setting it ablaze!"

A deep snarl, loud enough to make the ground below her tremble, made her immediately regret her choice of tone as she flinched.

"Do not growl at me little cowardly human! Your very life depends on my mood. And it is quickly moving south. I asked you why you ran, not why they were chasing you." Its words made tears brim her eyes as she hugged her womb on instinct. The navy blue fedora she wore tumbled from her brunette locks, the pheasant feather tucked into its ribbon swaying slightly.

"My apologies. As a Navy captain, I normally would have fought to protect my home, but not this time. I chose to run because my child is more important to me than a pile of bricks and a few possessions..." she trailed off as she lightly rubbed her swollen belly.

The large creature hummed before continuing to question the wounded woman, "What was the shockwave of energy I felt from this location?"

"I don't know what energy you are talking about, but I would assume my arrival here had something to do with it."

"How did you arrive?"

"I'm a Fruit power weilder. My ability allows me to create two warp-gates a distance from each other and cross through them, similar to teleportation, as well as create small vacuum portals. I'd never traveled through a vacuum before, but I was desperate. I thought I was going to die anyway so I took a risk. My destination was anywhere except where I was."

"So you did not aim to land in my territory, little mage? What fruit do you speak of?"

The young woman grunted in both pain and assent, "The Devil Fruit I ate was the Portal-Portal Fruit. There are an unknown number of Fruit and they give power to the one who eats them in exchange for their ability to swim."

The being behind her seemed to contemplate something before it speaking its mind with a low rumble, "If this Devil's Fruit is anything like its namesake, eating it would probably be why I sense an inherent evil in you but no ill intentions, False Mage."

The woman slowly released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding before slowly turning to meet her interrogator face-to-face. When her eyes landed on the large creature, she could feel herself pale at the sight. Only a single word could make it into her foggy mind.

"Dragon," she breathed.

The enormous creature chuckled at her terror before rumbling, "I am called Aldurin. What are you called, little human?"

"Saiya," the young woman squeaked as her vision blacked out and exhaustion overtook her and she slumped to the ground, "Saiya Sengoku."

The dragon eyed the unconscious woman carefully, "Interesting..."

The fearsome creature chuckled again before carefully scooping the injured woman up in its massive claws, not forgetting to grab her hat. Spreading its enormous wings, the dragon lifted itself from the ground with powerful strokes, flying deeper into the mountain range.

The dragon continued to fly through the snowcapped mountains as the terrain changed. The shrubs grew and twisted into stronge pine trees with further distance, either side of the valley closed in with cliffs and mountains. An ominous fog snaked its way through the ravines of the sharp terrain. The surrounding temperatures seemed to raise as the passing rocks gained a warm color, a river snaking its way between the trees, steam rising from its surface in the mid-morning light.

Flying deeper into the craggy environment, the huge beast found his goal: a thick crack halfway up the mountain range. Landing on the chipped rock that jutted out from the entrance to the cave, Aldurin slipped into the crack in the mountainside. Inside, it opened into a large cavern. Stalactites and stalagmites lined the ceiling and edges of the floor. Wandering further in, the giant reptile made his way deeper into the earth, down past underground streams and across a chasm he could feel the heat of the earth's core rising from.

Finally, Aldurin made it to his destination: a spherical room at the end of the path, the sunlight streaming through the roof of the cave via a deep hole on the earth.

Stepping inside, Aldurin gently laid the woman on a warm mossy rock in the sunlight. Breathing out a tired sigh, the large reptile turned to the only other occupant in the cave as she spoke, "Aldurin, what is this?"

"The cause of the celestial disturbance, my dear Laasrii'na." Aldurin spoke softly to his mate.

"A human? Why did you bring it here? Isn't compassion usually my thing tho have?"

The black dragon hummed in response, "Curiosity. Can you find her energy trail? I want to know exactly where she came from."

Laasrii'na stretched as she stood from her coiled position on the dark side of the cave, gracefully making her way toward her mate and the crumpled human woman. "Of course. I am the Celestial Dragon. It's my forte. Now, back off and let me work."

"Fine, fine," Aldurin grumbled as he rolled his dark eyes. He made his way over to the nest she had been lying in before, curling up as he watched Laasrii'na lightly close her eyes and gently press her muzzle to the unconscious human's forehead. Closing his eyes to the sound of his mate's humming, he fell into a light slumber.

-Time Skip-

For the next month, the woman named Saiya lived with her dragon saviors. Much knowledge was exchanged between them, about a range of subjects, from Devil Fruits to magic, governments to personal lives. However, over the weeks Saiya seemed to have been overtaken by a shadow of grief for her lost world. Many times, the dragons had to stop her from attempting to return there. With the arguments that there was no garuntee she would end up back where she came from, or that it could affect the growing child in her womb, Saiya conceeded.

The human's strength dwindled. The dragon, Laasrii'na, had healed her wounds but neither dragon knew how to care for a human who seemed to lose the will to live. The two dragons made the silent agreement to raise the child, should the mother lose her strength or mind. With sullen thoughts, the dragons continued to care for the woman until the day came to bring the unborn child into its new world.

After many hours, it was done. The result: a healthy baby girl the dragons named Ember. The mother gave the last of her strength to her child as it came into the world, her spirit leaving the world permanently. The little child screamed into the still air in protest.

Over the months, although the Dragons had come to view Ember as a daughter, they knew this little girl did not belong at their side. They knew would have to send her back, for as a human she couldn't be raised solely by dragons. And so, they prepared her. Education, etiquette, training. Dawn to dusk the little brown haired, blue eyed girl learned as much as she could from the dragons. From magic and survival to science and history, the little girl soaked it all up like a sponge.

When Ember reached the age of nine, the two guardian dragons realized that although Ember would always grow, there was no more they could teach her. It was time for her to enter the human world.

With heavy hearts, the little girl and her dragon parents said their goodbyes. Stepping through the portal Aldurin picked Ember up and gifted her with a small coin talisman with two intertwined dragons embossed on the sides, as well as her mother's hat. Setting her gently on the ground in the unknown forest, Aldurin took one last look at his daughter before tuning and leaving through the portal.


	3. Chapter 1

Standing alone for the first time in her life Ember was acutely aware of every sound around her. She decided she didn't like being alone. Focusing, she breathed deeply. Detecting an odd smell, her button nose wrinkled as her eyebrows furrowed. She couldn't identify it. Deciding to follow the odor, Ember turned to her left and began creeping foreward.

As the vegetation thinned, Ember noticed something beyond the treeline. Crouching when she reached the edge Ember peered through the bushes. Humans! She thought. At least thats what they looked like according to what Aldurin had told her.

There seemed to be a fundamental difference between them and Ember. They were all brightly colored, wheras she was not. Would she be easily noticed if she were to walk among them? Aldurin had told her to avoid trouble if she could. Would the difference cause her trouble? The nine year old didn't know and wasn't sure if she should care or not.

But she did know that she wanted to speak with these colorful people. Shrugging lightly, Ember stepped out of the bushes and strolled through into the outskirts of the town. The little girl was facinated by the caves the humans scuttled in and out of as they went about their business.

Spotting a bunch of fruit on a table, Ember's stomach growled. She licked her chops and strolled up to the table. Looking at all the different shapes and colors, Ember picked out a round red apple. Biting into the juicy fruit, her bright blue eyes lit up in appreciation.

As she gulped the bite down and went in for another, she heard an exclamation of horror. Turning to the lady on the other side of the table, Ember's face matched the old stall owners horror.

"What happened to your face?!" Ember was morbidly curious to find out how the tall lady's face got so crumpled and spotted.

"What the devil?! Thieving and now insulting me! I'll have the port guards called on you, you naked little street rat!" The old woman began screeching at decibels Ember didn't think the incinsed lady could reach. Panicking as the lady began to draw attention as she pointed at Ember, large men in matching colors began running at her.

Ember stood, shellshocked at the situation she found herself in. Only when one of the angry men got close enough to try and grab her did she regain her bearings. Dodging the meaty hand, the little nine-year old sprinted into the shadowed alley nearby the fruit stand.

Dodging pallets of goods, solid crates, and wooden barrels, Ember fled the shopping district. Ignoring the shouts of the angry men to "come back" and "stop running" Ember rounded a corner and spotting a horse drinking at a watering trough, jumped in. The water sloshed in the trough before settling as the horse stared at the spot she had disappeared. The shouts of the angry men grew louder as they sprinted around the corner. Ember held her breath as she counted out a minute after the shouting quieted.

Slowly raising her head above the waterline, Ember blinked to clear her eyes of the water. Confirming the area was free of angry people, she rose from the trough and looked to the horse still watching her. She reached out a hand to pat the horse, thanking it for not giving away her hiding spot.

Hopping out of the trough, Ember fished her hat out and came face to face with a tall man. Ember made eye contact with the man who awkwardly stared at her before looking down at the delicious apple she still held. Should she share it? Her mother dragon always told her it was a good way to make people like you. But the nine-year-old was oh so hungry and had no desire to part with her aquired meal. Ember knew Laasrii'nah would've been disappointed if she was selfish. Making up her mind, she looked back at the man as she begrudgingly offered the wet, half-eaten apple. He stared at the apple while lightly shaking his head and waving the impromptu meal back to her.

Shrugging at him, she walked back toward the alley the had come sprinting from as she bit into the apple again. Making her way between two crates, the little girl sat on the ground as she chewed her meal in silence, peeking back at where she had seen the tall man. The last thing she saw was his big, black, cape swishing around the corner as he left where they met.

 _-Time Skip-_

Little blue eyes snapped open in the dark of the alley. Ember listened quietly from the spot she lay curled up on a pallet. There it was again! The soft tapping of shoes on the cobblestone in the silence of the night.

Peeking out from behind a crate, Ember came face to face with a man. His silhouette in the moon was fierce as he hovered over the nine-year-old's hiding place for the night. Eyes widening in surprise and fear, Ember's hand shot forward, her palm making contact with the man's eye. The tall man gasped as he stumbled backwards in surprise, tripping over his own feet and sending him tumbling to the ground.

Ember blinked at the fallen man on the ground in front of her hiding spot. The night breeze tousled her hair gently, bringing a peculiar scent to her dragon nose. She recognized that scent! It was the man who rejected sharing her apple at the street corner!

Ember scowled. Laasrii'nah had always told her when she played with the other child-dragons to share. Apparently it makes you likable and helps you make friends. But Ember didn't like to share her food. She just had nothing else to share at the time. And he refused the kindness that she had struggled to show earlier.

Ember narrowed her eyes at the man as he sat up, glaring at him from behind a crate. Making eye contact, the strange man rummaged through the pockets under his cape before pulling out a little bundle and offering it out to Ember. Her pupils became slits as she assessed this man in front of her as he blinked awkwardly. Sniffing the bundle, she realized there was a bit of food in it as well as some other things.

Snatching the satchel and ducking behind the crate again, Ember dumped the contents onto the pallet before her. Some soft colorful things and fluffy stuff that smelled delicious. Oh, and there was a floppy brown thing that smelled like old animal hide making sloshing noises. Grabbing the food-stuff, Ember inspected it until her stomach rumbled and she shoved as much as she could fit into her mouth. The flavor was amazing as it seemed to melt in contact with the saliva in her mouth.

"Bread," a deep voice echoed behind her, "It's good, isn't it?" Looking behind her, Ember made eye contact with the man as he peeked behind the crate and saw her stuffed cheeks.

Nodding her head as she swallowed, Ember turned her attention back to the pile of things before her when the man pointed at them.

"I also brought a pouch of water and some clothes for you." Humming lightly as she poked through the colorful things, she picked a piece up and looked back at the man who deadpanned.

"You do know how to put those on, don't you?" Ember stared at the clothing piece for a second before turning to the man with a questioning tilt of her head. The man sighed heavily, staring at his shoes before seemingly making up his mind. Reaching for the trousers she held, he mumbled a quiet "Fine then. I'll help. Otherwise you'll freeze to death out here."

A few moments later, Ember found herself in tan trousers with the hems rolled up to her ankles and a slightly large navy blue t-shirt. The man cleared his throat to gain her attention as he sat on the crate in front of her as he introduced himself.

"I'm Gildarts Clive. What's your name, girlie?" As he waited for her answer, she looked at the crate underneath him as it grew cracks in its surface. Gildarts eyes grew wide before the crate crumbled beneath him. She watched the destructive man flail in the air, gripping a stack of pallets to his left in attempt to catch himself. Ember erupted into giggles as the pallets also crumbled between his fingers and he crashed onto the cobblestone ground.

"I'm Ember! Ember Aldurin," she smiled at the man stuck under the rubble.


	4. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: As always, I do not own Fairy Tail, One Piece, or associated canon. I DO however own my OCs, their powers, and this story. Detailed A/N is at the end of the chapter.**

 **-Year x777-**

"Where are we going?"

" _I_ am going home. I have no idea where you're going... Stop following me." Gildarts grumbled as he walked along the road.

"Why?" Ember peeped from three paces behind him. A heavy sigh came from Gildarts.

"Because, it's annoying. If being nice to you meant you were gonna sleep outside my hotel room every night and follow me around during the day, I definitely would've hesitated to give you some bread!"

"Are you not my friend? Because I thought we were friends. Friends share stuff and spend time together, right?" The nine-year-old tilted her head as she watched the irritated man stomp down the dirt road in front of her.

"Jeez kid, you don't understand much, do ya?" The auburn haired man snapped.

" _Hey!_ I know lots of stuff! You don't have to be rude, Gildarts Clive!" Ember crossed her arms and scowled at the man's back.

"Don't say my full name! You aren't my mother, so you don't have the right to scold like her. Making me feel bad and stuff. Besides, just because you know things doesn't mean you understand them."

Ember paused, "How so? And where is your home we are going to?"

"Just... Stop with the questions. And the talking in general, please. The old man better be able to get you off my tail, or else I'm gonna go crazy," Gildarts grumbled.

"I get to meet a man older than you?" Ember's excited chatter about there being people older than Gildarts in the world made the man wonder what rock she had been raised under. "I wasn't raised under a rock; I was raised in a cave. That's different because it's a bunch of rocks."

Gildarts grumbled, "And _I_ wasn't aware you could hear me over your own chatter, girlie."

"Was I not supposed to?" Ember apologized, "I'm sorry."

Gildarts looked behind him at the weird little girl following him as she adjusted her too-large fedora, the brown patterned pheasant feather bouncing in its ribbon. He mused, "Fairy Tail. We are headed to Fairy Tail."

"Fairy Tail?"

"Yeah, that's the guild I belong to."

"What's a guild?" Ember asked excitedly as she jogged to catch up with him.

"A guild is like... a collection of mages. They become like a second family to each other. They work together and help each other."

"So Fairy Tail is your home?" Ember's big eyes looked up at Gildarts in awe, "Wait! That means your a mage! Is your magic breaking things?"

Gildarts deadpanned, "Something like that. Don't worry, kid. You'll fit in with the weirdos there."

"Okay! To Fairy Tail!" Ember pointed ahead and began to march down the road like a soldier.

Gildarts shook his head and looked forward, ignoring the nine-year-old's babbling as he waited for the city of Magnolia to show itself on the horizon.

 **-Time Skip-**

Gildarts was panicking. He hadn't been in town for more than twenty minutes and he had already lost Ember. He had even told her to hang onto his cape so she wouldn't get lost! He just _knew_ the girl's curiosity would get the better of her when they got to town.

Gildarts quickly retraced his steps, catching sight of the girl walking around the corner of the market. He shouted to get her attention, "Ember!"

The two made eye contact as Ember's face split into a grin. Running over to Gildarts, the man begins his lecture. Halfway through his rant the man asks, "And what's with the cheesy grin?" The girl had not stopped smiling the entire time she was being scolded.

"That's the first time you've called me by my name!" Her exclamation stops him in his tracks. Was it really the first time he's said it? Looking at the wide grin and sparkling blue eyes of the girl in front of him, he felt a little bad.

"Whatever, kid. Let's go. We are almost there," Gildarts tried to ignore the frown when he reverted to nicknames. Grabbing her hand to lead her, he felt an inkling of relief when she smiled at the contact.

As Gildarts and Ember walked through the town, the little brunette was mesmerized as the very buildings of Magnolia shifted on the cobblestone streets and cleared a path for the destructive man leading her. She continued to oogle the merry townspeople as they waved or went about their daily activities until Gildarts stopped in front of a large building with a bell tower. It had a strange symbol on the front gates and above the door read "Fairy Tail" in all capitals.

Gildarts smiled fondly at the building, "We're here." He dropped her hand, "Follow me. I'll introduce you to Makarov."

"Macabre?" Gildarts choked on his own air.

"No," he wheezed, "Makarov. He's the master of the guild."

"Master?" Ember asked, "Like a leader or something?"

"Yeah, or something," Gildarts chuckled as he stepped through the threshold of the guild building, palm holding the heavy oak doors open for the girl who followed after.

Inside, it was calm. Ember observed the homey environment and the people whose souls radiated warmth towards Gildarts as they smiled at him. Surprised, albeit cheery, greetings were tossed into the air as Ember was led through the building, past dining tables and benches towards a bar in the back. Sitting on top of the bar was a small man. The little man had grey, nearly white hair and a mug of something pungent in his hand as he laughed merrily upon laying eyes on Gildarts. Ember wasn't sure if this was the old man Gildarts had spoke of on their long trip here. The strange man had grey hair signifying an elderly age, but was smaller than Ember. The brunette girl tipped her head to the side as she delicately sniffed the air. His mug contained alcohol, which again pointed to an adult. Could adults be smaller than her? What if-

The man sitting on the countertop met Ember's eyes. She had been so caught up with trying to figure out this man's age, she hadn't realized Gildarts had said something to her. A questioning sound left her mouth.

The man laughed, his cheeks stretching with his grin as he asked again, "Gildarts said you've been tailing him for the past week. What's your name little girl?"

"Oh. It's Ember. Ember Aldurin." She answered before murmuring, "Mr. Gildarts doesn't have a tail."

"Haha! Nice to meet ya, Ember!" She decided she liked this man's laugh, even if the smell of alcohol surrounding him was a bit acidic to her sensitive nose.

"You too! What's your name?" Ember grinned.

"I'm master Makarov of Fairy Tail!" The man, now dubbed Makarov, stated, "Feel free to call me Master, Guild Master, Guild Master Makarov, or just Makarov is fine. Cause the rest are kinda a mouthful," he mumbled the last sentence.

"Ah! You're the old man, Makarov?"

Makarov turned red as he glared down at the nine-year-old from his perch on the bar as he bellowed, "Who you calling old, you brat! Gildarts! Why the hell did you bring this disrespectful brat here?!" Silence followed his statement as both Ember and Makarov turned to the man, only to realize he had disappeared.

Shocked her sensitive ears didn't pick up his exit, Ember turned to the old man as he grumbled under his breath. Makarov cleared his throat before scratching the back of his neck with a grimace, "Well, where are your parents, Ember? Why were you following Gildarts around?"

Ember shrugged, "I don't know where they are in reference to where I am. Father left me in the woods. And I was following Mr. Gildarts because we are friends."

Makarov contemplated her answers with sad eyes before his lips parted in a sigh, "Abandoned, eh? I suppose since Gildarts brought you here, you're welcome to stay if you don't know where you're going next."

"Ah... okay. Thank you, Guild Master!"

Makarov just grunted before turning toward the crowd of spectators that were seated at the tables around them. Scanning the people, he found who he was looking for as he smiled and crooked a finger in the direction of a girl a few years older than Ember.

"Erza! Come here!" He gestured the children to face each other. As they took in each other's appearances, he continued, "Ember, this is Erza, she's twelve years old. Erza, this is Ember. She's nine. Let her borrow some clothes and show her around, would you?"

The vivid red haired girl looked Ember up and down before determinedly nodding and turning to Ember. She held out her hand, "Welcome to Fairy Tail," after the two exchanged greetings, Erza beckoned Ember to follow her around the building, showing her locations and introducing her to members of the guild. Ember was nodding along as the superfluous information spilled from the little armored girl's mouth when she was bowled over by a blossom-haired boy colliding with her back, the force sending the two of children tumbling.

"Where is he?!" The ten-year-old boy screeched after thoroughly sniffing the girl, "Where's Igneel?!"

An undignified garble of sounds slurred from the girl as she nursed the spot her forehead had smacked into the floorboards, her misty eyes squinting at the blurry pink mass on her back. Her vision cleared only for her to see the boy erupt in fire, Ember only watching in horror as the boy tried to wail on her with his fiery fists. Ember's rescue came in the form of a small armored boot digging into the boys side and sending him flying off of her and crashing into a table before he could land a single hit.

" _Natsu!_ Control yourself and stop being rude to the Master's guest!" Erza stood over the younger girl as she gripped the hilt of the sword strapped to her waist, a fierce look on her face.

"Move Erza! I have questions for her!" The boy, now dubbed Natsu, scrambled up and yelled as he pointed a finger at Ember still crumpled on the floor, wheezing to reclaim her lost air.

"You! Why do you smell like Igneel?!" Natsu continued to bellow, the crowd of onlookers starting to look at Ember curiously.

Ember propped herself up on her hands as she coughed, "What?"

"Igneel! Why do you smell like my dad?! Well, you smell like him, but not _like_ like him. He smells... ashy, like a volcano. And kinda spicy. You kinda smell like fresh rain. And the woods," Natsu seemed confused with his own ramblings and scowled, "But you still smell like a dragon! So where is he?!"

"So he smells kinda like you?" Ember mumbled before getting up, scowling at the boy as she dusted her pants off, "Look, I'm not sure who this... Igneel is. Thus I wouldn't know where he is either. But of course I smell like a dragon! Kids are _supposed_ to smell like their parents!"

Natsu's scowl slowly melted into a look of shock, "Parents? You were raised by a dragon?" The boy excitedly ran up to her, carefully stepping around Erza as he looked at Ember hopefully.

Ember nodded as she raised two fingers to indicate to the boy, "Two dragons actually, Father Aldurin and Mother Laasrii'nah. They were mated, so they both raised me."

"Maybe they know where Igneel is! They didn't disappear with him, right? Where are they?"

Ember tilted her head at the exuberant boy, hoping he wouldn't tackle her again for her answer, "I don't know where they are."

"So... they disappeared recently too?" Natsu frowned in disappointment.

Ember shook her head, "No, they're probably in the home-mountain right now," Ember mumbled as she recalled the mountain cave she resided in with her dragons, "Father Aldurin left me in the woods outside of the town where I met Mr. Gildarts."

"He just left you?! What kind of dad does that?! And your mom was okay with it?!"

"Well, yeah. I said bye to Mother before we left," Natsu made some horrified choking sounds as Ember continued, "Father said I had to learn some stuff he couldn't teach me. So I'll see them after I learn it."

Natsu frowned, "Well, what does he want you to learn?"

Ember blinked at him before breaking eye contact in embarrassment as she scratched her cheek and mumbled, "I-I didn't think to ask," she gasped before looking back up at him, "Oh no! If I don't know what to learn, what if I never learn it?! Then I-I'll never see them again because I'll never be ready!"

Natsu panicked as tears pooled in her big blue eyes and an eleven-year-old Gray started yelling at him for "making the new girl cry." As the two began to argue, a hand settled on Ember's head, Erza poking her head into the brunette's watery sight.

"Do not worry, Ember. Here at Fairy Tail, we can teach everything and anything you need. And if we don't know something, we'll support you and help you find it."

The solid conviction in the redhead's eyes settled the brunette's hiccups, "R-really?" Ember croaked.

Erza nodded, "After you get settled into the dorms, we can talk to the Master about you joining Fairy Tail permanently, if you'd like? And if you don't know any magic, I'm sure someone here can teach you, so you can be an official mage."

Ember nodded and furiously wiped her eyes, "Mother and Father taught me magic!"

"Really? I suppose it would be dragon slayer magic. Like Natsu's fire, right?"

Ember looked sheepish as the two girls sat at one of the tables, "Well, dragon slayer magic is typically Elemental in nature, but I never showed too much potential in any one type of Element. I'd get really exhausted and don't have enough magic stamina to use pure slayer magic. So I'm not too good at basic elements like fire, water, or lightning. So instead of teaching me a focus in an element, they taught me a branch of dragon magic that goes more in depth into how the elements interact and the manipulation of molecules and matter, rather than just overwhelming an opponent with a single element. Natsu's fire, for example, he can ignite fire from his skin or combust the air in his lungs to breath it since he's a fire dragon slayer, right?"

Erza was wide eyed as she nodded for Ember to continue, "Well, I can't really do that, without exhausting myself, so if I combine the energy transfering heat and flames of the fire dragon with molecules of certain elements in the soil, I can create superheated rock and magma to weild against an enemy, because magma isn't an individual element. My magic requires a lot of studying because it's not exactly elemental slayer magic, but original dragon magic that dragons had, so it's not really made to slay them. But I don't mind the work my magic requires because I love learning so much! I eventually hope to be strong enough to crack the ground wide open and pull magma straight from the earth like Father Aldurin, and wield entire hurricanes with airflow and humidity like Mother Laasrii'nah!" Ember excitedly yelled as she jumped up from her seat, the chair clattering behind her.

"Woah! That's super cool!" Natsu's voice sounded from next to Ember and she flinched as she realized that while she was talking to Erza, the table had been surrounded by the guild members, all of which had heard her intense babbling. Choruses of agreement bubbled up from her audience before a gravelly aged voice sounded behind her.

Guild Master Makarov addressed her, "I happened to overhear you and Erza speaking earlier and since you already know a bit of magic, I'd like to go ahead and officially ask. Do you wish to join our little family?" He looked seriously at her as she looked around at all the smiling faces. These people who were willing to help her fulfill her goal.

She looked back at Makarov and without any more hesitation, smiled at him, "Of course!"

Guild Master Makarov, smiled warmly and held up a small stamp, "Where would you like your guild mark? It's the symbol of our family."

Unintelligent thinking sounds escaped Ember as she blinked in uncertainty, looking around at the people surrounding her. It seemed most of the people carried it on their bicep or shoulder in a variety of colors. She pointed to the outside of her left shoulder.

"What color is it gonna be?" Excitement seeped into the question as Ember asked.

Master Makarov chuckled as he gently pressed the stamp to her shoulder, her skin tingling slightly as it made contact with the magic item. "Who knows? The color is a mystery until your mark shows up. It will reflect the harmonious balance between your magic and your soul. There are trillions of colors out there, but the hue will be perfectly unique to you." He smiled at the girl as he lifted the stamp, her shining eyes glued to the new light seafoam green colored mark.

Ember grinned as her new guildmated erupted into cheers.

 **A/N: First let me say thank you to the people who favorited and followed! Special shoutout to lovedonuts and the guest that commented! I'm absolutely tickled you guys like it!**

 **So, I've rewritten this three times already because I wasn't happy with it. Originally I had mentioned a lot of characters, but decided to cut a lot of the dialogue and introductions not only because the chapter was an ungodly length, but because I couldn't find any definite proof of people's ages. Different sources have me different numbers, so I'm making an educated guess. Please don't set me on fire if you don't agree with them. Anywho, currently the year is x777 and character ages are as follows: Ember-9, Natsu-10, Gray-11, Erza-12. I decided to only mention these characters and their ages (originally, I had also included introductory dialogue for Laxus(canonically 16 in x777), Cana, and the Strauss siblings) in this chapter of the story because I don't feel like calculating out the other characters. Sources have me the age range of 19-21 for Erza in year x784, but more sources identify the 19, so thats what I went with, making her 12 in x777. I know a lot of sources also say Gray and Natsu are the same age, but if you do the math, Natsu is 10 when he joins Fairy Tail looking for Igneel in x777, making him 17 in x784 when the series starts. However, Gray is said to be 17-18 years in age in x784 and isn't given a definitive timeline like Natsu for me to do the math, so I like to headcanon that he's 5-6 months older than Natsu who is in turn a few months older than Ember. My story begins a few months after Natsu joins Fairy Tail, thus Gray has recently turned 11, Natsu is roughly 10 and a half, and Ember is about to turn 10. So that's my logic there. Whew.**

 **Feel free to point out any grammar and spelling mistakes, critique and ideas are always welcome!**


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